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Barkida vs Keeper Lightweight Gladatorial Finale
Nepsa Downtown Carved from ancient glaciers, downtown Nepsa is a complicated labyrinth of pueblos fashioned from the ice. Native Nepsans mill and congregate, shuffling to and from work and home, navigating the dual-axis construction of the city network via sturdy ladders and slippery, icy chutes. The roads, paved with solid ice and frozen over with yet more ice, are wide enough to accomodate Transformer travel comfortably, although only cassettes and the like would be able to fit into any of the pueblos -- and even then, uncomfortably. The pueblos continue on into the distance as far as the eye can see, but helpful signs posted at various intersections provide clear directions as to which roads take one out of the city, to the famous Ice Dunes. Keeper tromps through the streets of the town, keeping lookout for turtles, apparently a hazard on this part of the planet during the foot race, or so he heard. The cobalt and jade guard with the gold optics, odd bells over his shoulders, and perpetually grim set mouth expression. Keeper is a bit of an oddity in the Autobots. He looks for the place of the upcomming match and his opponent, a formidable alien so he heard. "Puppy!!!" a space Inuit girl bounds up to Keeper latches onto his ankle. Several meters distant, Fusillade wheeeeeeeees as she toboggans down a hill, and then flumps into a snowbank. Swinging her wings back and forth, the bomber wheees as she makes a 136 foot wide by 147 foot long snow angel. And then a timer goes off. "Whoa hey time for me to officiate! Gotta take a break, I'm sore from gettin' tossed around yesterday anyway." It's not hard to find her. The Nepsans are only about human-sized, and the small knot of alien gladiators cooking a yeti haunch over a fire built in a parking lot stand out like giant sore thumbs. One of the gladiators, a big orange ball of needle-like teeth, points at Keeper and squalls rapidly in a foreign tongue. The armored warrior woman roasting the yeti joint straightens up and puts a hand to her sword, stepping away from the group. "Are you the machine man that calls itself the 'keeper?' And the judge for my test against same?" she asks of Keeper and Fusillade. Fusillade crams herself into a scanty, decorative parka, complete with mittens, a mug of peppermint ener-cocoa, and a ring placard at the ring itself. "Ladies, germs, welcome one and all to the Lightweight Gladiatorial Medal round! Get ready to heat this thing up, rounnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd one!" She snaps up the placard, and minces about the edges of the arena, giving a proper single hip sway at each corner of the ring. Keeper stops and manages to quirk the edges of his mouth upwards ever so slightly. The face of his monsterbot mode on his torso highly animalistic. "No dear. No puppy here." He detatches a bell from over his shoulder, twists it open, removes the weapon technology from inside, puts the bell back together, and hands it to the girl as a go away gift. Keeper is addressed by the macroscopic being and approaches a little ways. "I am Keeper." A slight bow of his head." He gives a curtosy head bow to Fusillade as she performs referee duties for this event. Keeper moves to the edge of the 'designated' fight area. "Barkida." "YayyyayyYYYYYY!" tiny Akkilokipok says as she jangles off with the decomissioned grenade. "Then you are my opponent," declares Barkida, vaulting lightly over the ropes and into the ring. She unhooks her shield from her back and holds it in front of her, drawing with her right hand from a loop at her hip a wicked-looking club almost ten feet long and studded on each of its three edges with what appear to be Sharkticon teeth. She balances the club's weight in her hand and waggles it slightly. "And you are the last thing standing between me and the title of the Galaxy's greatest living warrior." She probably does not include the Transformers as 'living' since there are of course other weight classes comprised only of them. "Come on, then." She clashes the club against her shield and shouts it again. "Come on!" "Well, greatest AMATEUR warrior," Fusillade opines from the sidelines. "Get it on!" she gestures Keeper to fight with a flourish of one of her wingblades. Keeper considers Barkida and how she must have gotten this far. She will not be fragile or easy to defeat, so he won't need to hold back as he would against a human. Keeper unlocks a claw from the paw under his arm and withdraws it, revealing it to also be a Pal Knife. He almost purrs like a tiger in his French accented deep voice, "Yes, we begin." Keeper strides in towards his club weilding shield bearing giantess opponent, moving side to side looking for the most opportune opening he will get with her. He moves both arms and then slashes his knife out. Combat: Keeper misses Barkida with his Pal Knife (Punch) attack! Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Guarded. Barkida checks the swing with her shield and strikes from behind it, a whistling sidearm swing low under the shield for Keeper's ornate knees. "Hnph! I am told you are a more capable combatant than the last few fighting machines I have been tested against!" Combat: Barkida strikes Keeper with her Low Nipper (Punch) attack! ~CLANK~ Spiked club bashes the Guard's leg as he lifts and twists it to absorb the impact as best he can, saving his knee joint and misallignment. "People do talk. But let us decide for ourselves." Keeper crouches slightly and then drives forward against the shieldmaiden with a hip swinging drive of his knee. Combat: Keeper sets his defense level to Guarded. Combat: Keeper misses Barkida with his Kneeeeeee (Kick) attack! Barkida reads the attack and skips lightly out of the way, spinning away behind Keeper and putting her weight into the swing. She's trying to catch him in the small of the back with that sharkticon-tooth koa of hers! Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Neutral. Combat: Barkida strikes Keeper with her Spinning Smash (Kick) attack! Keeper spins to track her and gets caught in the side despite moving to block with his arm, just not fast enough. In prison, there were inmates with greater speed. In those cases when there was trouble, proceedure dictated having more than one guard on hand. Here, however, that does not apply. Keeper remain patient, but he also must find ways to not be anticipated. He was thinking ahead, and kept moving into Barkida despite the injury, his palm driving forward looking to move by or ram through the shield. Combat: Keeper strikes Barkida with his Palm thrust (Punch) attack! "Hnph!" grunts Barkida, stumbling as Keeper rams his mighty fist into her side, driving her back. But rather than be cowed, she seems to be inspired! Almost before she's fully recovered her footing she lets out a bloodcurdling warcry and leaps bodily at Keeper, bringing the koa whistling down in a crushing overhand blow! Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Fearless. Combat: Barkida misses Keeper with her Sudden Savagery attack! Keeper pushed a button with his first strike, and he has seen it all before. The sudden careless brutality coming at him. And Keeper moves more nimbly than thus seen. The koa racing down, Keeper dives under Barkida behind her and rolls onto his feet. He turns to face her again and just as calmly as he's been so far, moves in to close the distance between them again. He experiments, faking with a jab of his Pal Knife, but also shooting a short downward kick to Barkida's leg. Combat: Keeper strikes Barkida with his Low Kick (Kick) attack! Barkida stumbles again, rolling to her feet and moving more cautiously now. The battle robot is too cool-tempered to be frightened by a ferocious attack, apparently! She circles him, testing him with a few swipes while she looks for an opening. Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Protected. Combat: Barkida strikes Keeper with her Experimental Swings (Punch) attack! Keeper was expecting Barkida to get even more ferocious, and thus put a little too much into his evasion, putting himself too awkward a position to avoid a following experimental swing. It clocks his body directly. His grim set mouth turns down and more grim for that moment. "I see there is warrior in you afterall." Keeper 'dances' with Barkida, side to side, back and forth. Meassuring and then stepping wide to the side and then arching inwards with an empty fist. Combat: Keeper sets his defense level to Neutral. Combat: Keeper misses Barkida with his Left hook (Punch) attack! Barkida bats the fist aside with her koa and follows up with a high kick with her steel boot towards the side of Keeper's heavily armoured head. "Do not doubt it, machine-man!" Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Neutral. Combat: Barkida misses Keeper with her High Kick (Kick) attack! Keeper makes a short shift to the side and raises his arm to block the kick, most efficiently, and then steps forward hoping to catch Barkida before she gets her leg down for balance again, throwing his body weight at her. Combat: Keeper sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Keeper strikes Barkida with his Tackle (Smash) attack! Barkida blocks the blow with her koa, but the wood splinters under the massive impact. Almost falling out of the ring, she tosses the damaged weapon to one of the alien gladiators outside in the parking lot and draws a long, wicked-looking straight sword from a sheath on her back. Snapping it out straight, she grimaces and drives her weight back at Keeper, trying to return his blow with one of her own... plus interest! Combat: Barkida sets her defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Barkida strikes Keeper with her Run Through attack! Keeper sacrificed posture for power, and though it paid off, it also has it's price. The monsterbot is swiftly and powerfully run through by the sword. Inside, it partially severs a series of circuit feeds. He slips back from the blade, a trace of energon glowing on it. "Mmf..." Arms returning to ready position, Keeper moves about Barkida. A second claw is unlocked from the paw under the other arm and he draws a second Pal Knife. Now one in each hand, Keeper moves in indirectly with blades slicing. Combat: Keeper sets his defense level to Neutral. . Combat: Keeper strikes Barkida with his Pal Knives (Punch) attack! Barkida withdraws her sword and shakes the oil off of it with a snap, bleeding onto the mat from a pair of shallow cuts across her shoulder and belly. "I see that I was told true!" she exclaims, looking a little faint from absorbing all those impacts. "My other opponents were no comparison to your armament and technique, machine-man." Stepping back in, she stamps a foot twice rapidly in an attempt to distract Keeper and slash him beneath his guard. Combat: Barkida strikes Keeper with her Appel and Flick attack! -2 Keeper isn't so much distracted by foot stomping, as he just isn't as fast as Barkida, and she cuts into his scaled metal armor, cutting at the servos inside that manage the overt movements involved in distance running. There is a labored whirring as they contract refexively with the damage and pain. "My previous opponents... were diverse... unique to eachother... as are you." He is used to adaptation, it's just a matter of how much he can manage before it's too late. Keeper shuffles his stance once, faking an upper body blow while his leg sweeps out low arching snap towards Barkida's side. Combat: Keeper misses Barkida with his Side kick (Kick) attack! Barkida turns in time to get inside the swing and puts her shoulder into the shield, trying to drive Keeper back across the ring. Her strength is incredible, although the occasional spatter of blood and the bruises rising on her skin show that even though her flesh is dense, in a manner of speaking, she's only human. How much fight can there be left in her? "Mine were weak! You were fortunate to be challenged!" Combat: Barkida misses Keeper with her Shield Bash (Kick) attack! Keeper does not speak of his opponents shortcomings if they had them out of respect for them. He is driven backwards but catches his balance soon enough to prevent losing complete control and being damaged. He stops like a wall and thrusts his foot out to fight back against the might of Barkida. "I welcome your challenge in the here and now." Combat: Keeper strikes Barkida with his Boot thrust (Kick) attack! Barkida's shield splits under the impact, but Keeper is immovable! She withdraws, shaking her sore left arm and looking at Keeper with grudging respect. She wipes her sword on her short skirt and sheathes it, holding out her hands. "Enough. I yield. You are the stronger, today." "Primus just HIT HIM already!" Fusillade yells from the sidelines Combat: Barkida takes extra time to steady herself. Pass Keeper rises, posture straightening out of ready stance. He steps forward, hands turned palms up, then offering one. "An honor." His gold optics kind. Fusillade, the referee, and her suredly unbiased disappointment at the ending of the fight before one has fallen, makes his mouthline turn grim once more. Barkida licks her teeth and spits a little blood as she climbs out of the ring. Somehow she doesn't seem so much disappointed as pleased that there are still challenges yet to overcome. Chucking down her Round Googolplex sign, Fusillade gazes skyward, and intones. "OH-KAY. Keeper wins! Hooray!" She tosses the peppermint ener-cocoa over her shoulder, and slouches over to the judges' tent to log the results. Keeper drops his hand and watches the organic life form exit the ring. A nagging itch inside him grows slightly. But he stoically lets it be and exits the ring. Barkida returns to the alien gladiators, one of whom gives her back her broken koa, commisserating in their various languages, but she doesn't let any of them touch her, speaking in a low voice as they go to the medical tent to see to her wounds. Daniel Witwicky is casually watching the action from the sidelines. Barkida looks at Daniel as she passes with a mixture of curiosity and revulsion. "Hotdog in the hallway," Fusillade utters under her intake. Daniel Witwicky looks at Barkida and nods politely. Keeper passes by the girl with the bell gift and gives a tired wave. If only everybody would dismantle their weapons and make something good out of them. Oh well. Keeper goes back the way he came, a Frankenstein trudging across the arctic world. "You dare wander about without your robot exterior, Earthman?" calls Barkida as she gets bandaged up, not able to resist her curiosity. "I thought your kind always wore motorized armors." Daniel Witwicky flinches and looks at Barkida. Uh oh. He looks around and shrugs. "No, I'm just a spectator. 'sides, I need to get recertified to wear that kind of gear." He nods. "You...uh...did good out there!" "Thank you, tiny man," replies Barkida, sounding like she's obliged to say so although she might rather not. She gets her injured arm in a sling and strides off purposefully.